Morning Read: 'The Politics of Personal Assassination'

Looks like other states are following the much-acclaimed model of the New York State Senate. Nevertheless, co-leaders Dean Skelos and Jeff Klein held a press conference yesterday where they touted the new coalition governance model and how they will move forward.

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, angry at the New York Post‘s controversial columns and cartoons, said he’s going to skip the publication’s editorial process in the mayoral race unless they moderate their tone. “I’ll happily talk to any Post reporter; they have a job to do,” he explained on Inside City Hall last night. “I’m not going to seek the editorial board’s endorsement if they don’t address this issue. If they are going to denigrate my wife, if they’re going to continue to divide this city, I have no interest in seeking the endorsement of a corporate entity–in this case represented by an editorial board–that chooses to do that.”

On the same program, the public advocate discussed Hurricane Sandy and how the city’s response to it has been “the tale of two cities.” Additionally, both Mr. de Blasio and his wife, Chirlane McCray, were also onGood Day New Yorkyesterday morning.

Back on Inside City Hall, Congressman Michael Grimm had a fairly confrontational sit-down, disagreeing sharply with host Errol Louis. “From where I sit, I think it speaks volumes about how baseless accusations and the politics of personal assassination can be so costly, but it is that costly,” Mr. Grimm said of his huge $550,000 legal bill surrounding fundraising accusations against his campaign. “A lot of it it, more than legal work, is handling the media inquiries that come in when something like this comes up. ‘Oh, the Ethics [Committee] said this,’ and my lawyers have to get on the phone with 5, 6, 7 different reporters.”

In big Brooklyn news, District Attorney Joe Hynessecured a conviction in an abuse case in the Orthodox Jewish community, something he’s been harshly criticized for not doing in the past. Here is Mr. Hynes speaking on the topic: